Dr Ian Dunlop
Chairman 1988 – 1997
Died May 27 2007

Standing in the biting wind one mid-winter’s day in the churchyard of St. Peter’s, West Blatchington, Ian and I were attending the internment of ashes of James Gray, whose photographic collection of old Brighton & Hove was later to be purchased by the Society. After the ceremony we walked away together and, as he turned up his coat collar, Ian observed simply ‘Cold it was’. Only someone as fastidious in his use of English could have summed up what we both felt with such economy.

It was his love of English literature and poetry that had taken him to Sweden many years earlier where he was invited to set up English-speaking courses for both teachers and for students in Swedish adult education, an initiative which grew rapidly to the point where 10,000 adults were being trained annually. In 1971 he was appointed MBE for “Cultural Services to Sweden”. The move to Scandinavia also brought with it the ‘greatest stroke of luck’ as Ian put it in that, through his new work, he met Ulla, his devoted wife who was also to support him as an invaluable colleague when they returned to Britain and in 1977 they took up posts at the English Language Centre in Hove. The Centre was to keep them fully occupied for the next ten years, or as fully occupied as it was reasonable to expect of someone who followed the game of cricket wherever it was being played with almost religious fervour. But this was hardly surprising in someone so quintessentially British, a description he could easily authenticate by explaining that his mother was English, his father Scottish and he was born in Wales.

Ian had an engaging, impish sense of humour, never better illustrated than on the occasion of the Society’s 50th birthday celebrations. The event was graced by the presence of our august President of many years’ standing, the Duke of Grafton, a magisterial figure for whom Ian found himself acting as aide-de-camp for the evening. When it was over Ian half expected him to take his leave by saying: ‘Carry on sergeant–major’ before being driven away by his chauffeur. Wartime service in the Royal Marines would have made such an order part of every day life in the Forces and, as he remembered that I had followed in a posting to Singapore a couple of years later, he gave me a big fat wink as his Grace departed.

Upon the sudden death of Dr. Rex Binning, Antony Dale the founder of the Regency Society, invited Ian to fill the post which he did energetically and effectively for nearly ten years, taking an increasingly important role during Antony’s final illness. One of Ian’s many accomplishments was to put the Society on a firmer financial footing by selling various unused artefacts and profitably investing the proceeds. He established the annual Antony Dale Memorial Lecture and led the Society in safeguarding the future of Stanmer House and, later on showed equal concern about Marlborough House. The Society was also fortunate enough to persuade him to give two memorable lectures on Regency English.

Some years back when he was still active, he asked me whether I thought the Frank Gehry King Alfred proposals would every be realised and I rather unguardedly told him not to worry as they probably wouldn’t be built during his lifetime. They weren’t, but for all the wrong reasons and I venture to think that he would allow me a wry smile at the way events turned out.

As one would expect with Ian’s pedigree, he led from the front and the Society prospered under his leadership. The eulogy at his funeral given by his lifelong friend from Emmanuel College Cambridge, Tony Abrahams, contained the words ‘His was a life that mattered and living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident’. With this we all concur.

John Wells-Thorpe
Chairman 1998 - 2000